Great Lakes Compact Council Deny Appeal Of Waukesha Water Project

The Great Lakes Compact Council voted against an appeal of Waukesha's Water Diversion Project Thursday. Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reiley said he was a little surprised by the decision only because he wasn’t expecting them to vote on the issue until next month.

The council had been considering an appeal to the plan by the Great Lakes - Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative, a group of more than 125 cities, who claimed Waukesha was given the green light to pump from Lake Michigan based on false data.

Mayor Reiley said that claim had no merit.

The city of Waukesha has continued on with their plans for the project and are currently in a routing study and filing for permits for construction.

Mayor Reiley says there is a chance the group could file a federal appeal, but says he’s confident the ruling will stand.

He says he believes the great lake council did their due diligence before agreeing to the project.

“It was very thorough, they really followed the terms of the compact. They spent a lot of time, they asked a lot of questions, and so I don’t expect any appeal. And if there is an appeal, I think it will be taken care of quickly,” Reiley told CBS 58.

Mayor Reiley says he still expects construction to begin in 2019.

CBS 58 did reach out to the attorney representing the Great Lakes - Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative, but at the time of this writing had not heard back.